Battle Of Osan Essay

The Battle of Osan
The battle of Osan is one of the worst defeats by the United States of America to the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) during the Korean War. The battle of Osan, the first battle of the Korean War, showcased a poorly equipped, under-trained, unorganized and undisciplined U.S. Army force. A rough estimate of sixty U.S. soldiers killed, up to twenty-one wounded and eighty-two captured. Despite the low causalities, the loss at the battle of Osan would lead to the deaths of nine hundred and twenty-two killed and over twenty-four hundred additional prisoners or executed at the Battle of Taejon that would subsequently follow. The purpose of this paper is to explore the possibility of an alternate outcome if the American forces won the battle of Osan against the NKPA. I will examine the Battle of Osan by applying the four steps of battle analysis in order to provide an alternate outcome. During my research, I discovered that many historians blamed budget cuts for the defeat at the Battle of Osan however, I assess it was the lack of Intelligence of the battlefield.
Strategic and Operational
North Korea discussed the prospect of war with both China and the Soviet Union whom supported the initiative. On June 25th, 1950 the NKPA invaded South Korea with an estimated force of 90,000 soldiers. The President of the United States, Harry S. Truman did not want to get involved as he believed that a war with the Soviet Union would lead to World War III. However, President Truman decided to get involved since the Soviet Union had stated that they were not going to interfere militarily in the conflict. Seven days after the invasion of South Korea by the NKPA, US soldiers from 1st Battalion, 21st Regiment, of the 24th Infantry Division had landed in Korea from Japan to fend off the NKPA for as long as they could until reinforcements could